When a user attaches, inserts, plugs-in, or otherwise adds one or more external hard drives or other similar storage devices to a media gateway device (e.g., a set-top box) in the user's home in order to record media content that is currently being delivered or will be delivered to the gateway device, the content will typically be recorded on the drive with the largest percentage of available memory or free space. Such is the case regardless of the type, character or quality of the content, as well as any general category that the content may be placed in. For example, if a user adds multiple external hard drives to a set-top box for the purpose of having additional storage space for media content recordings, or to provide one or more backups of the content recordings stored on the internal hard drive of the set-top box, the content will be stored to whichever drive has the most free space at the time the content becomes available for recording, even if the user prefers that certain media content (e.g., new television programs, video-on-demand movies, etc.) be recorded to one drive while all other content be recorded to another drive. As such, very few user-selectable options exist with respect to controlling where and how recorded content is stored when one or more external hard drives are used in conjunction with media gateway devices located at users' homes.
Additionally, users often face instances where, for one reason or another, the internal hard drive of their receiving device becomes damaged, destroyed or otherwise incurs some type of failure. While the internal hard drive may be repaired or replaced, the content recordings that the user stored on the drive are usually lost or erased as a result of the failure. Accordingly, having the ability as needed to backup the contents stored on an internal hard drive of such receiving devices allows users to prevent against such unexpected loss of saved content.